Car-coupling



(No Model.)

Y C. W. SPENCER GAB GOUPLING.

No. 296,640. Patented Apr. 8, 1 884.

INVEMOR:

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WILLIAM SPENCER, OF RICHMOND, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 296,640, dated April 8, 1884-.

Application filed November-19, 1883. (No model.)

T0 at whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W LLIAM SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, resid ing at Richmond, in the county of Ray and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to that class of car couplings which are designed to connect themselves together automatically by the act of bringing two cars together; and its object is to provide simple and inexpensive means whereby the same" may be accomplished with certainty, and means whereby the couplings may be disconnected by men either on the cars or on the ground.

To this end my invention consists in a double hook or anchor-shaped link provided with a balance-weight, and means for raising or lowering the same to disconnect it from another,

as hereinafter described and claimed reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of two cars, showing my coupling, some parts being broken away to show the interior; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of my couplings.

A represents the car, and B the draw'head attached thereto by the usual means ofa crosstimber, O, and abutting springs D, the front end of the draw-head provided with an aperture extending in at-the end and down through the bottom, to serve as a bearing for the link E and its balance-arm F, pivoted to the head at e. The link is provided with a double hook or anchor-head, G, to adapt it to engage a similar hook, either above or below, as one hook may be higher than the other whenthe two meet. The arm F of the link is weighted to retain the hook end of the link in a horizontal position, to insure two links coming in contact, and the end of each link is somewhat arrow-pointed, to cause two meeting linkheads to wedge past each other, one above the other. i l hen so past each other, the books on the link-heads will be forced to engage each 1 other by the effort of their balance-weights to bring each to a horizontal position,so that they cannot be drawn or shaken apart.

J is a cross-bar extending behind the arm F, by which to raise the link out of engagement. Bar J and arms K and L are all one piece, pivoted to the car at k. By means of the arm K the crossbar J may be operated by a man on the ground beside the car to disengage the coupling.

I N is a lever on top of the car, connected with arm L of bar J by a rod, M, by which means a man upon the car may disconnect the coupling.

The draw-head may be provided with the usual link-pins, P, at each side of the hook, by which to attach the car to the front end of an engine, or to a car having an ordinary draw-head.

I am aware that car-couplings are not newin which a double hook-shaped coupler is maintained in a horizontal position by a Weighted elbow-lever, the same having a chain or cord for lifting either the hook or weight, and I do not claim the same, broadly, as my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and Wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with a car draw-head an an anchor-shaped link pivoted thereto, said link having upwardly and downwardly projecting hooks and a balance-weight, of a bar,

oted to the car at k, and thence horizontally as a lever-arm, the connecting-rod M, and the elbow-1ever handle N, substantially as shown and described, whereby a link may be raised to disconnect it from another link either by a person on the ground beside the car or by a person on top of the car.

CHARLES WILLIAM SPENCER.

Witnesses:

Gno. SoHwEioH, PAUL Horn. 

